Fairfield to Play No. 7 Minnesota in 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament
Fairfield to Play No. 7 Minnesota in 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament

Fairfield to Play No. 7 Minnesota in 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament

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EDISON, N.J. (Dec. 1, 2019) – Fairfield University (24-5, 17-1 MAAC) is set to head to Minneapolis to take on No. 7 University of Minnesota (23-5, 17-3 Big Ten) in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship. The Stags will play on Friday, Dec. 6 at the Maturi Pavilion at 8:00 p.m. ET.
 
This marks the eleventh NCAA Tournament appearance for the Stags. Fairfield’s last appearance came in 2017, when the team matched up against The University of Texas. The Stags have more NCAA volleyball appearances than any other team in MAAC history.
 
Fairfield took down Quinnipiac University (14-16, 8-10) last Sunday in the MAAC Volleyball Championship Game three sets to one, claiming the program’s eleventh MAAC title. Luci Albertson, Mayda Garcia, and Manuela Nicolini were named to the MAAC All-Championship Team for their play, with Nicolini also collecting the championship’s Most Valuable Player award. Nicolini finished the final game with a triple-double, posting 39 assists, 14 digs, and a career-high 10 blocks.
 
In addition to the team’s championship accolades, four Stags also received All-MAAC postseason honors. Freshman Joelle Battles was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team as well as the All-MAAC First Team alongside teammate Manuela Nicolini. Kaylie Butts and Mayda Garcia were named to the All-MAAC Second Team. Nicolini also collected two major awards, being named both the 2019 MAAC Setter of the Year and Player of the Year. Head Coach Todd Kress was named the 2019 MAAC BSN Sports Coach of the Year after guiding the Stags to a 17-1 record in conference play.
 
The Golden Gophers finished the regular season winning four of their last five. Minnesota’s 17-3 conference record was good to tie for second in the Big Ten, tying with the University of Nebraska and Pennsylvania State University. Minnesota closed out the regular season in University Park, Pennsylvania with a 3-1 road win over now eleventh ranked Penn State.
 
For more information on the 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship, visit NCAA.com.
 
Keep up with all MAAC volleyball action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACVB. 
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.